AFP Spotlight Sessions: Arts & Culture

                                          
AFP Spotlight Sessions: Arts & Culture is a live virtual event, taking place October 4 from 11 a.m. ET to 5 p.m. ET, that is focused both on nonprofit management skills as well as tactical fundraising skills for individuals who work in performing arts, museums, zoological parks, visual arts, and cultural organizations whose primary purpose is to enrich a specified community through a range of arts disciplines and experiences. Full participation in this event is applicable for 4 CFRE credits.                     

The cost of the event is $299 USD for AFP members and $499 USD for non-members. 

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Education Sessions Topics

• Ethics 
• Growing Your Donor Base 
• Managing Teams 
• Integrating AI 
• Equity in the Arts  

AFP Spotlight Sessions: Arts & Culture is worth 4 CFRE credits. 

Program Schedule: Wednesday, October 4, 2023 (All Times Eastern Daylight Time)

• 11:00 – 11:15 a.m.             Opening with Live Host - Adrienne Taylor, Senior Consultant, Skystone Partners
• 11:15 a.m. – 12:10 p.m.    Education Session (3 live options to choose from)
  • Go Micro, Tiny Events, Big Impact - Lisa Stueckemann: Micro Events are the newest best practice in fundraising. Learn how these bite-size events can make a big impact on your bottom line.
  • The Arts as a Translator, Expanding Your Donor Base Through Non-Traditional Avenues – Samantha Krzywonos and Kelly Schaecher, MSc: Explore the myriad of ways boundary crossing arts and culture activities, both inside and outside arts-based organizations can uniquely increase impact, expand your donor base and engage new audiences. We’ll highlight how the arts can translate complex concepts, address EDI issues, inspire donors, and foster dialogue on global issues.
  • Cultivating and Stewarding a Donor Base - Mary Doorley Simboski: Can you turn a museum member into a donor?  Will a season subscription evolve into a planned gift?  This interactive session, led by a member of the Boston University Arts Administration faculty, will help you prepare a plan to do so.
• 12:10 – 12:15 p.m.             Bonus Content
• 12:15 – 12:45 p.m.             Keynote - Mark Folkes, President & CEO, The Hobby Center interviewed by Amy Lampi, Associate VP, BWF
• 12:45 – 1:05 p.m.               Break
• 1:05 – 2:00 p.m.                 Education Session (2 live options to choose from)
  • The Connection Between Fundraising and Marketing: Managing a Harmonious Relationship – Marcus Turner: "Two sides of the same coin" is often used to describe the ideal way fundraising and marketing work.  But how do we come together and function as a single coin? This session will discuss practical ways to unite for a common purpose of increasing awareness and creating loyalty among patrons.
  • Capital Campaigns for your Arts & Cultural Institutions - Liz Knuppel: Many arts and culture institutions are rebounding from various changes over the last few years. Now is the time to evaluate and prepare for creating campaigns addressing many of the organization's concerns. 
• 2:00 – 2:05 p.m.                 Break
• 2:05– 3:00 p.m.                  Education Session (2 live options to choose from)
  • Developing a Fundraising Growth Strategy Using Data & Analytics - Tiffany Legington Graham and Andrew Mathewes: Have you put enough science into the art and science of fundraising?  Join for an interactive discussion with two seasoned fundraising professionals who were tasked with overhauling an organization's existing fundraising strategy to drive significant double-digit growth.
  • Implementing IDEA Initiatives in Your Fundraising Plans: Navigating Challenges Towards Equitable Fundraising - Veronica Kannan and Israel Jiménez: Are you struggling to get organizational and/or donor buy-in on IDEA initiatives? This session will share examples, resources, and data on the importance of incorporating IDEA into your fundraising plans and how to make the case for doing so.
  • Advanced Storytelling: How to Tell Stories Across All Types of Grants - Beth Archer and Julie Paynotta: Learn how to use storytelling in grants beyond a simple quotation from a client. We walk you step-by-step through multiple examples with different storytelling approaches to use in your own grant applications.
• 3:00 – 3:15 p.m.                 Bonus Content
• 3:15 – 4:10 p.m.                 Education Session (3 live options to choose from)
  • Leveraging Your Museum in Donor Cultivation and Stewardship – Frances Tortorich: You've developed exhibits, programs, and initiatives within the four walls of your museum. You have guests and members. But are your donors visiting? This session will help you leverage the power of the investments made in your museum as you work to cultivate and steward your donors.
  • Conflicting Considerations – Due Diligence and the Arts – Shannon Cooper: Donor due diligence plays a special role in the Arts. This presentation will review recent controversies from all perspectives - including the staff, donors, artists and public - and encourage discussion of the complex ethical, financial, legal, and reputational issues involved for art organizations.
  • Ancient Philanthropy & The Arts | A Global Perspective to Promoting Equity in Fundraising – Yasmin Gregg {CANCELED}: Explore how elements of ancient theatre, music, and dance from across the globe can underscore fundraising strategies that will help foster balance and innovation within your organization’s development plan. Get ready to unlock your creative side and have a little fun!
• 4:10 – 4:15 p.m.                 Break
• 4:15 – 4:45 p.m.                 Closing Speaker -   Torrie Allen, President and CEO at Arts Midwest
• 4:45 – 5:00 p.m.                 Wrap-Up and Closing  

Host

Keynotes       

Mark Folkes is a community-focused arts leader with a deep, proven history of civic engagement in Houston. During his time as Managing Director of Stages, Folkes successfully led the company through a $35.8 million capital campaign to build a transformative new three-theater campus, The Gordy, that opened in January 2020. During his tenure, the operating budget and subscriber audience nearly tripled, in addition to dramatic growth of contributed revenues that led to new investments across the organization. Prior to this, Folkes served as Senior Director, Development, for the Houston Symphony helping to raise over $16 million annually in support of operations, sustainability, and endowment. In his most recent position as Chief Advancement Officer for Greater Houston Community Foundation, Folkes led the Advancement and Donor Relations team while continuing to increase the philanthropic impact of the Foundation through work with donors and clients.

Amy Lampi is an associate vice president at BWF with more than 20 years of fundraising experience in the performing arts, education, and healthcare. As a development generalist, she has a wide range of experience from multichannel annual giving and development operations to major gifts and management of a development team. Prior to BWF, Amy served as the director of development at Theatre Under the Stars, where she oversaw all fundraising aspects of the theatre including board, annual giving, corporate and foundation giving; capital campaign and major gifts; special events, prospect research, development operations and gift processing. Amy also served as the associate director of development at the Alley Theatre, where her cutting-edge work in fundraising analytics with Josh Birkholz was featured in the August 2016 issue of “The Chronicle of Philanthropy.” Amy is co-author of a new book with Josh Birkholz “BeneFactors: Why Some Fundraising Professional Always Succeed” which was published by Wiley and released fall of 2022. She is a recognized leader and speaker within the Tessitura Network, AFP and her local Houston chapters of AFP and Apra. She is a past president of AFP Greater Houston Chapter and lectures on donor relations and fundraising analytics for Rice University’s Glasscock School of Continuing Studies. Amy earned her BFA in Acting from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York.

Torrie Allen (he/him) stepped into the role of President and CEO at Arts Midwest in 2019. Prior to this, he presided over all philanthropic activity at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival from 2016 to 2019 and served as the chief officer of development and marketing at Alaska Public Media from 2012 to 2016. He also led the Anchorage Opera as the executive and artistic director from 2006 to 2012, after directing the National Patrons Council at Americans for the Arts.     At Arts Midwest, Torrie leads the organization in strategic planning, fundraising, and programming, working in collaboration with staff, local, regional, and national partners, Arts Midwest’s Board of Directors, funders, and constituents. In 2022, Torrie was named co-chair of the United States Regional Arts Organization Collective.      He has appeared as a keynote speaker for international, national, and regional conferences, and a guest lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota, and other schools. Torrie has served as a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Wallace Foundation. He currently serves on the boards of National Arts Strategies, Americans for the Arts, NIV Foundation, and on the Advisory Council for the University of Minnesota Master of Professional Studies in Arts and Cultural Leadership Program.      He has provided commissioned and volunteer service for the National Endowment for the Arts, Americans for the Arts, World Affairs Council, University of Alaska Advisory Board, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Community Commander Program, Arts & Business Council of New York, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and Alaska State Council on the Arts. He is a Fellow of the National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program through Harvard Business School, the University of Michigan, and the University of Texas at Austin.

Speakers   
 

Lisa Stueckemann, MNA, CFRE, has invested over 15 years in the nonprofit sector. Her undergraduate degree in theatre and master of nonprofit administration provide a unique and creative lens to her fundraising strategy and leadership style. She has on-the-ground experience in annual giving, major gifts, corporate philanthropy, and event design. Currently, Lisa leads the development team as the Vice President of Philanthropy at New Life Solutions on the West Coast of Florida. Recently, Lisa served as Executive Producer of the long-form documentary, “Choose Courage,” which tells the story of the founding of New Life Solutions.

Samantha Krzywonos, CFRE brings over fifteen years of fundraising and volunteer experience with academic and healthcare organizations to her role as Development Officer with UVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts. For the past seven years she has worked with the depts of Writing, Art History and Visual Studies, Theatre, Visual Arts and School of Music raising funds for scholarships, awards and special initiatives that advance support for BIPOC community impact, artistic and creative activity.

Kelly Schaecher, MSc, is officially a newcomer to professional fundraising with four years experience between the University of Victoria and the University of Colorado Foundation but philanthropy and community work have always been part of her package, maybe even part of her cellular make up. For the past two years she has been working along side Sam Krzywonos in the Faculty of Fine Arts, Humanities and Student Affairs at the University of Victoria in the role of Leadership Giving Officer. Community connections and sharing the incredible work of our academics with like minded individuals is “fun”raising at its best. She delights in the creative ways we share knowledge and a multitude of perspectives.

Mary Doorley Simboski, ACFRE is on the Arts Administration faculty of Boston University. She is a development professional with more than 30 years of experience in fundraising.  Currently, she is Managing Director for Changing Our World, a global consulting firm working in fundraising, corporate social responsibility, analytics, and communications.  She is a member of AFP’s Massachusetts Chapter. She has served on the ACFRE Certification Board and currently serves as a member of the AFP’s Ethics Committee.

Marcus E. Turner is the Associate Executive Director for External Relations at the Lone Tree Arts Center, a municipal multidisciplinary arts center located south of Denver. In this role, he is responsible for earned and contributed revenue and collaborating with fundraising, marketing, and outreach staff to raise brand awareness, increase philanthropic support, and drive ticket sales. For the past 15 years, Marcus has worked for large and small organizations across the arts sector in fundraising, marketing, higher education admissions, and grantmaking. An artist as well as an administrator, Marcus performs as an actor and musician, appearing on stages around Denver.

Liz Knuppel has more than 20 years of experience working for and with nonprofits. She joined Skystone Partners in 2007 as a senior consultant, became managing partner in 2010, and president and CEO in 2013. Her previous nonprofit experience includes serving as executive director of the Starling Project Foundation, and staff roles at Women Helping Women, Cincinnati Opera Association, and the Behringer-Crawford Museum.  Her expertise includes planning and managing major gift campaigns, creating innovative solutions to help nonprofits achieve their goals, assessing development operations and interpreting fundraising data, facilitating visioning and strategic planning processes, and helping boards and executive leadership become more effective organizational leaders.

Tiffany Legington Graham With more than 25 years of experience in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors, Tiffany serves as the Chief Marketing & Development Officer for the National Civil Rights Museum. She previously served as Vice President of Gift Planning (Individual & Foundation Giving) at ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and has held other fundraising leadership roles in higher education at Tulane University and University of Memphis, as well as in arts and culture at Levine Museum of the New South and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts+Culture. Tiffany began her career in retail strategy consulting, where she spent a decade working with some of the world’s best known brands to drive multi-million dollar business development, supply chain, and process improvement initiatives.

Andrew Matthews - serves as Director for Technology and Analytics at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, TN, where he is responsible for the data and technology sphere in the Museum’s Development and Marketing. Prior to joining the Museum in 2022, he spent 4 years at ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, performing analytics and managing technology across several business units at one of the largest charities in the world. He holds a B.A. from the University of Virginia, where he studied Government and Economics. He is the father of two beautiful boys and is usually playing the NYTimes Spelling Bee in his free time.

Veronica Kannan has been fundraising for the performing arts for more than 12 years, with proven success in aligning donor interests with organizational needs. As the Director of Development at Round House Theatre, she oversees all contributed revenue for the theatre. Her leadership has ensured the success of a $12M capital campaign to renovate the theatre while also increasing annual fund and Gala revenue by more than 50%. Veronica previously held development roles at Houston Grand Opera, Alley Theatre, and Florida Grand Opera. She holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Miami University and the University of Miami, respectively.

Israel Jimenez - Originally from Mexico City and currently based in DC, Israel is the Director of EDIA & Community Engagement at Round House Theatre. With over 15 years of experience in non-profit organizations, including Childsplay, Arizona Theatre Company, and Teatro Bravo, he is dedicated to dismantling systemic barriers in theatre, ensuring universal accessibility. Previously, Israel spearheaded community engagement at Theatre Under the Stars and presented the TUTS Spotlight Series. His work Yo Soy Frida earned the Dorothy Webb Playwright Award at Write Now symposium, becoming a part of the upcoming anthology, Palabras del Cielo: An Exploration of Latina/o Theatre for Young Audiences.

Frances Tortorich - With nearly a decade of experience in nonprofit fundraising and administration, Frances Tortorich, CFRE, has a proven record of philanthropic successes at the organizations she serves. She has extensive knowledge in all aspects of fund development, with a focus on operational efficiencies, relationship building, and increasing giving across all channels.  She holds a Master’s degree in Arts Administration from the O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

Shannon Cooper is a director and consultant at BWF with 30+ years of nonprofit experience ranging from policy development and database design to principal gift fundraising and museum administration. Prior to BWF, Shannon held fundraising leadership positions at the American National Red Cross, including responsibilities for program development, oversight of donor research and due diligence, brand management, and volunteer leadership fundraising. Shannon received her bachelor's degree from Barnard College and her master's degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. She holds multiple professional certifications and is a member of AFP, Oklahoma.

Yasmin Gregg is a nonprofit professional from Richmond, Virginia who always seeks creative ways to establish and maintain authentic community partnerships. Yasmin holds a Master’s degree from University of Richmond’s SPCS Nonprofit Studies program and a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from Howard University. She is the Development Manager at ChildSavers and the co-chair of AFP Central VA’s Inclusive Fundraising Fellowship. Yasmin is also an adjunct lecturer (when time permits!), most recently teaching Fundraising for the Arts at her alma mater. Most importantly, she is a woman of faith, wife to her supportive husband Carl, and super-mom to her son, Josiah.

Beth Archer has been a grant professional for six years and has enjoyed supporting the fundraising initiatives of a wide array of nonprofit organizations. She also has extensive experience in nonprofit management and leadership and is passionate about helping mission-driven organizations make a difference in their communities.

Julie Paynotta has 30+ years of experience in the nonprofit sector, focused on women's health, youth development, and education. She has been a grant writer for seven years and has a Professional Certificate in Grant Writing and Program Evaluation. Julie lives in Colorado and enjoys live music and spending time outdoors.

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